Executive Functioning and Clinical Variables in Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Inmaculada Concepción Martínez-Esparza,Eric A Storch,Ana I Rosa-Alcázar,Ángel Rosa-Alcázar,Pablo J Olivares-Olivares

doi:10.3390/brainsci11020267

Inmaculada Concepción Martínez-Esparza, Eric A Storch + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11020267

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Abstract

Background: Cognitive flexibility, response inhibition, and working memory are considered the main mechanisms responsible for executive control. This study examined differences in cognitive flexibility, inhibition, and working memory in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) relative to a control group. Method: A total of 62 obsessive-compulsive participants (OCD = 32; healthy control = 32) aged between 17 and 56 years old (M = 33.16, SD = 9.23) were administered the computerized Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Stroop Color–Word Test, Go/No-Go Task, Digit Test, and Corsi Block Test. Clinician-rated and self-reported obsessive–compulsive symptom severity, and anxiety, depression, and obsessive beliefs were evaluated. Results: The control group performed better than the OCD group in tasks involving cognitive flexibility, inhibition, and visuospatial working memory. Anxiety and obsessive beliefs influenced the participants’ performance on inhibition and working memory tasks. Similarly, comorbidity also influenced inhibition and working memory. In addition, the use of pharmacotherapy and the degree of OCD symptom severity influenced verbal working memory. Conclusions: Cognitive flexibility, inhibition, and visuospatial working memory deficits may be endophenotypes of OCD but require further examination for specificity. OCD severity, comorbidity patterns, anxiety, and obsessive beliefs may influence performance.

Highlights

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is an impairing psychiatric condition characterized by the occurrence of thoughts, recurrent images or impulses, and/or compulsions aimed at reducing discomfort or preventing feared events [1]
The aim of the present study is to examine differences in cognitive flexibility (CF), response inhibition (RI), and working memory (WM) in patients with OCD versus healthy controls
Results obtained coincide with those by Abramovitch et al [25], who found a small degree of negative association between visuospatial memory and symptomatic severity of OCD

Summary

Introduction

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is an impairing psychiatric condition characterized by the occurrence of thoughts, recurrent images or impulses, and/or compulsions aimed at reducing discomfort or preventing feared events [1]. Executive function (EF), and the relationship between its different subdomains as independent entities or as part of a whole [3], has been the subject of several studies in OCD. EF consists of regulatory mechanisms of cognition, behavior, and emotions that allow the achievement of individual goals and objectives [4]. Cognitive flexibility (CF), response inhibition (RI), and working memory (WM) are considered the main mechanisms responsible for executive control [5]. CF is the ability that allows changing representation based on incoming information, and to keep representation intact when changes are irrelevant [6]

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